Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will again count on the skills and tenacity of Brad Binder for their MotoGP™ project until the end of 2026. An early contract extension was agreed and signed with the South African star at the team’s home Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Binder, who recently turned 28, will remain in Red Bull KTM colours and onboard the KTM RC16; continuing a prosperous alliance that began in 2020. Brad will stretch his relationship with the factory well beyond a decade after entering the Red Bull KTM structure in 2015: the first of a five-year stint with the Red Bull KTM Ajo crew.
Binder won the 2016 Moto3™ crown and then took 8 wins and 15 podiums during a three-term development phase in Moto2™.
#33 made the jump to the MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in 2020 and became the first athlete to scale all the way through the KTM GP Academy scheme from his formative days as a teenager in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup. He clinched KTM’s maiden premier class victory that same year in the Czech Republic and logged another seven podium appearances to date with a best Championship finish of 6th.
His second MotoGP™ success, at the Red Bull Ring for the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, was another KTM MotoGP™ milestone. Brad also grasped KTM’s first MotoGP™ Tissot Sprint win with his performance in Argentina earlier this season.
Binder already had a contract in place for the 2024 MotoGP campaign but will now enter his thirties as a key rider and figure for the firm’s Grand Prix effort.
Brad Binder: “A massive thank you to KTM and the management for trusting in me and for letting me be involved in this incredible program for a few more years. We are coming very close to what we want to achieve on the track but I cannot say enough good things about the team and my crew. 2015 and those first KTM races feel like a long time ago! But also time passes quickly and we’ve made some special memories. I know there is a lot more to come and cannot wait to build those stories. Thanks again.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Brad is a rock of our team and it is great news that he will stay even longer with us. We’ve been building a relationship and a project for a long time now. He brings a winning spirit to our box but also stability and an important understanding of KTM. He is always an exciting rider to watch and a fantastic guy to work with. I want to thank him for his belief in us and for how we’ve pushed together to this point so far. There is still so much potential to come.”
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “Keeping Brad at the sharp point of our MotoGP program was a big priority for us. We love everything about this guy: he is an all-out racer and leaves everything on the track. Brad is a valued part of the family and his character and the way he is around the box, the fans and the company makes him the ideal ambassador for us. We’ve already achieved and experienced so much together, and it makes us very proud that he wants to continue on our RC16 and stay in orange. We couldn’t be happier to put that #33 bike in the box for a few more years to come.” –www.motogp.com
